Because I am her mother...that's why.

August 29, 2010

Dear Mrs. Allard, Mrs. Bossert & Mrs. Guscott –

I’ll be honest. When Addysen came home the other day and said, “Mom, you’ve got homework tonight,” I rolled my eyes and thought, “Are you kidding me? I’ve been filling out forms for two hours now. Can’t the school figure out how to streamline this process?” But then I read the letter.

Although my thoughts are still the same about figuring out a way to streamline the emergency form process, I was excited to have the opportunity to write about Addysen. She is amazing and I am truly blessed to be her mother.

As the oldest of 5 children (4 girls, one boy), Addysen is extremely responsible and dependable. She was my “go-to gal” all summer long when I needed a babysitter or help folding laundry.  She even packed four out of seven suitcases when we went on vacation a few weeks ago. Addysen is very helpful and very kind – even when her younger siblings drive her nuts. Despite what she might otherwise say, she is extremely close to her brother, Cannon, who is 16+ months younger than she.

Addysen is a great friend and very loyal. She takes her relationships with people seriously and is sensitive to the needs of others. She tries to be inclusive of a variety of people. As the Wilcox Student Body President last year, Addysen made it her goal to get to know as many people as possible. She is very outgoing and social.

A dedicated student, Addysen expects a lot of her academic performance – perhaps even having tendencies towards perfectionism at times. (She read and re-read one of the Harry Potter books for her summer reading book because she wanted to be sure to remember all the details.) Aside from her handwriting, which is often somewhat rushed and messy, Addysen usually completes assignments on time and presents them nicely. She usually manages her time very well and often strives to exceed the requirements when opportunities present themselves.

Addysen does not like math. If there is anything she struggles with academically – this would be the subject. She is a voracious reader and a good speller. She loves to write (received an award at the Young Author’s contest last year.) She is very creative and imaginative with her stories – often mixing in reality and fantasy.

As far as hobbies are concerned, Addysen has a variety. She loves to play soccer and has had several coaches request she try out for travel teams. (Due to our large family and many church, school and other commitments, however, the travel team schedules do not work for us.) She has developed an interest in volleyball over the past several months.

Addysen loves music and loves singing. It is my hope that someday soon we’ll be able to purchase a piano so that she can take lessons.  In the meantime, she gets her music from the likes of Justin Bieber, Miley Cirus and many of the other pop star icons today.

Addysen is a natural-born leader with a very strong sense of right and wrong. She is fun to be around and always participates and contributes (to the conversation, the project, offering assistance, etc.)

Despite how this letter might sound, Addysen isn’t perfect. (As her mother, I can say that, right?) She is an 11-year-old girl with normal likes and dislikes – fears and excitement starting middle school, hanging with friends, etc.  Her favorite color is blue, her birthday is in February and she doesn’t like peanut butter. Addysen wears mismatched socks, crazy-colored nail polish and earrings (in her relatively newly pierced ears.) She says she is jealous of her friends who have cell phones, gadgets like the i-pod touch and a seemingly endless supply of clothes from Justice. She might be jealous, but she takes the “we don’t do that in our family,” line rather well – most of the time.

Addysen’s determination can be both a blessing (like the decision to stop eating French fries several months ago) and a hindrance (like when she insists on having the last word.) Overall though, I think she is amazing.  She is the kind of student I would love to have in class if I were a teacher.

And she is definitely the kind of daughter I love having as a mother.

Sincerely,

Tacie Kerr

*PS – Addysen’s dad is a police officer and always more than willing to come and talk to the class if a need ever presents itself – career day, community helpers, etc.

Trippin' down Memory Lane

Last weekend, on day 2, somewhere around hour 19 of our 30+ hour drive home from Las Vegas, Greg indulged me and let us detour through my old neighborhood in Omaha, NE. When I realized that the freeway was only about 10-15 minutes from where I grew up, I practically begged. When he first said he wasn't interested...I pouted.
     Pathetic, yes...but true. I pouted. I really wanted to drive past my old HOME (S plural...we actually lived in 3 houses over 10 years -- two that were ours and the Dorcus St. house we rented while building our 'dream' house)...where I lived from age 6-16 and which, to this day, holds a particularly soft spot in my heart. (No, it wasn't all cornfields,  June bugs, flying roaches and high humidity....)
     Greg quickly relented...re-routed the GPS...and we took our 20-30 minute tour of my past.

J. Sterling Morton Elementary - Mr. Lykke, Principal

(Is it any wonder I've always loved school when my first princiPAL was named Mr. LIKEE?) 
      I'm not sure Addysen (or anyone) was overly impressed when I stated that this was the school where I was the Student Body President in 6th grade. I refrained from telling them about Mrs. Sampson(1st), Mrs. Gehringer (2nd), Mrs. Houston (3rd), Mrs. Wilson (4th), Mr. Hayden (5th) or Mrs. Green (6th). I didn't tell them that this is the school where I wrote my two future best-sellers, "Fiddle the Mouse," and "Bud Luscher Is Missing."
     If Josh had been there, no doubt he would have brought up the "Pink Ladies," and the fact that my friends and I all desperately wanted matching pink jackets. Think GREASE 2. (My friends got them...I didn't. Who could have known that just a few short years later -- in Junior High -- not having owned a "pink ladies" jacket would save my reputation? I'm kidding, of course...or maybe not.)
    I tried telling the fam about the Spook Alley that was held in the Nature Center at the back of school when Halloween rolled around but by this point, I'm fairly certain that Greg was the only one listening -- and probably only half-heartedly.

Our first house in Omaha....moved there in June 1980. Had crazy thunderstorms every night for a month. Since we didn't have blinds or curtains... they lit up our bedroom...I was rather terrified. I think my parents paid something like $65K for these digs - -brand-spanking new. Who would have guessed that in 2010, I'd be trying to sell houses for practically the same price? 

     The house has been painted and the trees are certainly all grown up. The corner shop "Stop-N-Save," is now a "BP." Empty lots (like the one Chip Shaner started on fire when playing with matches) aren't to be found anymore. I guess that's what happens in 20 years.

    It was amazing how fast my childhood memories came flooding back: the toilet papering jobs all up and down the street, sledding down the hill in the backyard and down the street, playing Army in the trees behind the house, delivering newspapers, neighborhood block parties on the 4th of July...roasting a pig and having the inevitable water fight, a tornado on the 4th that temporarily shut down the fireworks, sneaking out at my 12th birthday party (in January!) only to get caught because a certain friend couldn't stop laughing outside my parents bedroom window, mowing the lawn and earning a "Pepsi".
     (In retrospect, that little hill in the front yard doesn't seem like gargantuan hill it was when I tried to push a lawnmower up it at age 10 or 12. And speaking of gargantuan hills -- the "Mt. Everest" we had to conquer riding our bikes home from school didn't seem to present quite the same challenge as it did when I was 6.)

     The "dream" house we built in the backyard of our first house. Again, the outside has been painted...and no doubt mine and Mitzi's room (top right -- in the turret) has long since had the gray carpet (which I spilled pink nail polish about 6 months after moving in) and gray and white walls changed. I'm going out on a limb here, but I am guessing the cork board walls -- which held so many Kirk Cameron and Guess Model photos may have changed as well. I hope the built-in window seat has survived the years.
     As I pulled in the driveway to turn around, I remembered the night during the construction process that Season tripped on the front steps and cut her head...she ended up with stitches. I remembered being tp'd, cookied, and shoe-polished. (No, my dad was not a fan of that one!) I remembered my mom driving us to tp our friends. (I don't think my dad was a fan of that either.) I remembered staying up late on summer nights and playing Super Mario Brothers with Josh. We weren't really on speaking terms most of the time then....but at night, something changed and those are some of my favorite memories.
    In that few minutes of time last Saturday, as the vision of shooting hoops and taking pictures in the yard before Homecoming played out in my mind, I remembered our vacation to Colorado when my dad got Legionaire's Disease. We spent hours in the hospital only to drive home and have him go back to the hospital. And then, the laundry room caught on fire...What a week that was. As a mother now, I wonder how my mom held it together?
    I remembered the day my mom let us all ditch school so we could go sledding...and the day we went sledding at nearby Woodhaven park. The hill was larger then - -and faster. The snow was deep and my mom couldn't stop her sled before shooting off the embankment into the creek. I'm not sure I've ever seen my dad run so fast. Imagine 4 little kids at the top of the hill - -watching in horror as their mom shot off a ledge and into a creek. Imagine our relief when she climbed out of the ditch -- laughing hysterically.
     If I'd had the time -- I probably would have gone to the door and asked for a tour. I did that once -- a few years after moving to Vegas. Of course, I knew the people who bought our house - -and it had only been a few years at that point. That day, it broke my heart to see the changes. Maybe I am kidding myself to think I could have handled it better now. After all, it's just a house, right?
    Just a house -- not so much. It was a home...for maybe 3 years. And lest you think I'm kidding myself -- the memories there weren't all happy. In fact, some of them are downright heartbreaking. But that is the beauty of it right now -- they are memories.
     We survived. We probably even became stronger and grew from the experiences. They weren't easy. And they still aren't easy to talk about. BUT....we are a family -- and a close one at that. We've loved each other through the good times and bad...
     From one state...to another...and from one house to the next...

I'm checkin' this out.

NOTE: Add "savemoney" as the discount code and you should be able to get the service for $13 (three months) rather than $15. Let me know if you decide to try it - -and which plan you are using.

The blog is not forgotten.

Will post sooner or later...
Summer is over.
School has started.
Vacation rocked...even the 85+ hours (and 6000+ miles) in the car between Cleveland and San Diego wasn't too bad. (Just ask Cambrie, she is sure to agree.)
Pictures to come...stories to tell (or maybe not -- can I just say that my mom is SUPERSONIC?!?)
Gnats have been bombed.

I am tired.